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29-9093.00 · Task explorer

Surgical Assistants: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons. May, in accordance with state laws, help surgeons to make incisions and close surgical sites, manipulate or remove tissues, implant surgical devices or drains, suction the surgical site, place catheters, clamp or cauterize vessels or tissue, and apply dressings to surgical site.

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This source lists 28 tasks, including 20 marked Core and 8 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 08/2026.

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28 tasks shown

Core · Task 19299 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.

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Core · Task 19298 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.

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Core · Task 19312 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Pass instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure.

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Core · Task 19305 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Assist with patient resuscitation during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events.

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Core · Task 19315 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Verify the identity of patient or operative site.

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Core · Task 19310 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies.

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Core · Task 19292 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving.

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Core · Task 19306 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.

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Core · Task 19294 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Coordinate or participate in the positioning of patients, using body stabilizing equipment or protective padding to provide appropriate exposure for the procedure or to protect against nerve damage or circulation impairment.

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Core · Task 19307 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures.

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Core · Task 19308 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Gather, arrange, or assemble instruments or supplies.

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Core · Task 19311 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Operate sterilizing devices.

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Core · Task 19293 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.

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Core · Task 19302 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings.

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Core · Task 19290 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Assess skin integrity or other body conditions upon completion of the procedure to determine if damage has occurred from body positioning.

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Core · Task 19289 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Apply sutures, staples, clips, or other materials to close skin, facia, or subcutaneous wound layers.

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Core · Task 19291 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Assist in the insertion, positioning, or suturing of closed-wound drainage systems.

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Core · Task 19288 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Adjust and maintain operating room temperature, humidity, or lighting, according to surgeon's specifications.

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Core · Task 19303 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Assist in applying casts, splints, braces, or similar devices.

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Core · Task 19313 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Remove patient hair or disinfect incision sites to prepare patient for surgery.

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Supplemental · Task 19300 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood.

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Supplemental · Task 19296 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Discuss with surgeon the nature of the surgical procedure, including operative consent, methods of operative exposure, diagnostic or laboratory data, or patient-advanced directives or other needs.

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Supplemental · Task 19295 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Coordinate with anesthesia personnel to maintain patient temperature.

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Supplemental · Task 19297 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Incise tissue layers in lower extremities to harvest veins.

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Supplemental · Task 19301 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Postoperatively inject a subcutaneous local anesthetic agent to reduce pain.

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Supplemental · Task 19309 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Insert or remove urinary bladder catheters.

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Supplemental · Task 19304 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Assist in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques.

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Supplemental · Task 19314 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Transport patients to operating room.

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Make the shortlist useful

Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
Keep source task IDs with your notes so you can return to the same description. Do not include private employer or customer information.

The exported worksheet distinguishes the reported task from your own notes. It supports exploration, not a hiring decision or a validated assessment.

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Download before leaving this page. Unsaved writing remains only in the page and is cleared on refresh. Notes and learning actions are not sent to a server. This guide describes an occupation and supports study planning; it does not provide clinical, legal or equipment-operating procedures.

Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.